Fix OneNote Not working, Not opening Problems, Errors, Issues

Microsoft OneNote is an excellent software for gathering information and collaborating with multiple users. The software has been updated and gets better over time – but nothing is perfect at the end of the day, and there may be times when you will have to troubleshoot OneNote errors & problems. This post runs you through some of the issues which you may face at some point.

Fix OneNote Not working, Not opening Problems, Errors, Issues

If OneNote is not working, responding, or opening then troubleshoot & fix OneNote problems, errors & issues in Windows 11/10, by following these solutions.

Open Notebooks created in earlier versions of OneNote

The later versions of OneNote support documents in the 2010-2016 format. If a user tried to open a document created in OneNote 2003 or OneNote 2007, it would open directly. However, the documents could be converted to the appropriate format, so they work well with the later versions of OneNote. This could be done as follows:

1. Open the notebook on OneNote 2016 or 2013, (even though it might not display properly).
2. Select the File tab and click on Info.
3. Next, to the name of your notebook, click on Settings and then on Properties.
4. In the window that opens, choose Convert to 2010-2016.
5. The converted file could be opened on Windows mobile as well.

OneNote can’t open my page or section

If you see “There’s a problem with the contents in this section,” error message, open the notebook in the desktop version of OneNote, which provides notebook recovery options.

We couldn’t start OneNote the last time we tried

If you receive the message “We couldn’t start OneNote the last time we tried”, sign out and sign in again, and see. Clear the OneNote Cache, and if that does not help, Repair or Reset OneNote.

To clear OneNote Cache, open the Run dialog box, copy-paste %localappdata%\Microsoft\OneNote\16.0 and press Enter. Delete the contents of the Cache folder.

SharePoint related errors with OneNote

The most common errors reported on OneNote involve sites shared on SharePoint. Please log on to the system as an administrator before proceeding.

Syncing issue with My SharePoint Notebook

OneNote supports SharePoint versions newer than SharePoint 2010. Older versions won’t be supported, and that is part of the build.

TIP: This post will show you how to enable or disable syncing of files from OneNote.

OneNote not syncing

Here are some posts to help you if OneNote is not syncing:

• OneNote sync error 0xE0190193 (403: Forbidden)
• OneNote sync error 0xE000005E (ReferencedRevisionNotFound)
• OneNote sync error 0xE4020045 (Unsupported Client)
• OneNote sync error 0xE40105F9 (Unsupported Client Build)
• Error 0xE000002E, Something went wrong during OneNote sync
• OneNote sync error 0xE4010641, You’re offline or network location is unavailable.

Turn off  Check-in/Check-Out in SharePoint Document Library

1. Open the document library in SharePoint.
2. In the ribbon for Library Tools, select Library, then Library settings and then Versioning settings.
3. Change the value of Require Check Out to No.

Turn off Minor Versions in SharePoint Document Library

1. Open the document library in SharePoint.
2. In the ribbon for Library Tools, select Library, then Library settings and then Versioning settings.
3. Change the value of Document Versioning History to No Versioning.

Related: Troubleshoot OneNote Sign In Problems.

Turn off Required Properties in SharePoint Document Library

1. Open the document library in SharePoint.
2. In the ribbon for Library Tools, select Library, then Library settings.
3. Find the table titled Columns on the window and check if any of the items under the Required column have a checkmark.
4. Should you find any item marked as required, then set its value to No.

Related: Content not yet available OneNote error.

OneNote Quota errors

Storage issues might also be a problem for those working with OneNote. Some of the issues with exceeded quota limits could be mitigated as below, says Microsoft.

To start with, determine whether the notebook is stored on OneDrive or SharePoint. The difference can be analyzed by observing the URL. Some OneDrive URLs will have some variants of OneDrive in them, while SharePoint URLs are company-specific.

1. If your notebook is on OneDrive, check if you can free space on OneDrive, or you could buy more space as well.
2. If you have exceeded the SharePoint limit, you might need to contact the SharePoint administrator for help.

OneNote is not working

If the OneNote desktop software is not working, you may first clear the OneNote cache and see if it helps. If it does not help,  repair your Microsoft Office installation via the Control Panel. This will reinstall the Microsoft OneNote software too.

If the OneNote Microsoft Store app is not working on your Windows 11/10 PC, you could open Settings > Apps > Apps & features > OneNote > Advanced Options and click on Reset to reset this Windows Store app. Or you may uninstall using our 10AppsManager for Windows 10. Once done, you may install it again by searching for it in the Windows Store.

How do I reset OneNote cache?

You can reset or clear the OneNote cache by deleting the cache folder. OneNote stores temporary files as cache inside the OneNote folder located on your C drive. Sometimes, the cache gets corrupted due to which problems occur. In such cases, deleting the cache fixes the problem. Deleting the cache will also delete the data not synced to the cloud.

How do I repair corrupted OneNote?

Sometimes, the OneNote cache gets corrupted due to which we experience issues with OneNote. In such types of cases, clearing the OneNote cache files can fix the problem. If this does not help, you can repair the corrupted OneNote by repairing Microsoft Office. Because OneNote is a part of Microsoft Office Suite, repairing Microsoft Office will also repair corrupted OneNote.

More OneNote help topics:

• OneNote needs a Password to Sync this Notebook
• Error 0x80246007 while installing OneNote app.